Police search for suspect in two shootings, beating

Three wounded Saturday outside Western Ave. bar.

Three wounded Saturday outside Western Ave. bar.

July 25, 2006|ALICIA GALLEGOS Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Police are still searching for who shot two men outside a west-side bar Saturday night and wounded another man with a baseball bat. Kain Astello, 24, and Pedro Ruiz, 28, were reportedly shot about 11 p.m. just after arriving at La Marea bar, 3401 Western Ave. A third man, Reyes Astello, 46, was beaten with a bat during the same fight. The conditions of both shooting victims were unavailable Monday. Pedro Ruiz was said to be in critical condition at the hospital, according to earlier reports. He was headed for surgery early Sunday after suffering gunshot wounds to his legs and chest, according to police. The fight apparently stemmed from an argument about one man's divorce, according to a police report. Witnesses at the scene said the woman involved in the divorce had been inside the bar. When police arrived they discovered Reyes and Kain Astello lying on the ground outside the bar. Kain Astello was conscious -- although shot in the abdomen -- and able to tell police that a 28-year-old man started swinging a bat during the fight. The victims heard shots shortly afterward. Medics transported Reyes and Kain Astello to the hospital, where police were informed that Ruiz was already there also suffering from gunshot wounds. The 28-year-old named suspect was not at the scene when police arrived and had not been arrested by Monday, according to police spokesman Capt. Phil Trent. The police report has been forwarded to the prosecutor's office for review, he said. Police say this isn't the first troubling incident at La Marea bar since it opened a few years ago. Officers responded to 67 calls for service at the bar in 2004, 51 calls in 2005, and already this year have been to the bar 14 times, according to records. The majority of the calls relate to unwanted persons and fighting, Trent said. But at least one revolved around an armed man and another a shooting. "There's obviously security issues" at the bar, Trent said. The bar's owner, Antonio Garcialazo, said Monday that fighting at his establishment has calmed down since he first opened four years ago and that he's trying hard to deal with disruptive patrons. "I don't (have) security, but I'm going to think about it," he said. Garcialazo isn't sure how much the security would help though. He said guards would also have to call police if customers refused to leave. A crime-ridden neighborhood contributes to the problem, Garcialazo stressed, adding that the next-door Family Dollar store and gas station have had their share of problems, too. "I have no choice," he said of the area. "This is the only place I've got." Garcialazo believes police should do a better job of checking IDs of patrons causing disturbances, he said, instead of just kicking them out. "I do the best I can," he said. "We have to work together." Staff writer May Lee Johnson contributed to this report Staff writer Alicia Gallegos: agallegos@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6368